Adults often tell children, “Do as I say, not as I do,” but they forget that the child will do things the way their parents do them. Child psychologists have outlined a lot of things that should be avoided to help your child become a happy and self-confident adult.

We at Bright Side chose a different way and collected examples of how parents undermine their own efforts when it comes to child-rearing.

1. They forbid their child to use a mobile phone and a tablet, and then spend all their free time staring at their own gadgets.

2. They teach their child to respect elderly people, while they don’t notice elderly people nearby who need help.

3. They demand respect and attention when they speak, while dismissing their own parents.

4. They tell their kids that they should eat healthy and consume vegetables and fruits, but they constantly snack on chips and chocolate.

5. They make their child read books, but they spend all their evenings watching TV.

6. They punish their kids when they use rude and abusive words, but the children learned these words from their parents.

7. They control their child’s obedience when it comes to traffic rules, but they ignore them themselves.

8. They insist that their children play sports, but they don’t care about their own physical shape.

9. They teach their child to be a successful leader, and forget about their own ambitions.

10. They only want to hear the truth from their child, but they don’t see a problem when they themselves lie.

11. They encourage their child to learn a foreign language, while they haven’t learned a single one.

12. They forbid their children to talk with strangers, but they never miss a chance to chat with everyone.

13. They encourage their child to keep their space clean, but they don’t deal with their own mess for years.

14. They put their child to bed early, but they don’t care about getting a healthy amount of sleep themselves.

15. They forbid their children to gossip, but they never miss the opportunity to gossip with friends.